I Want To Die One Day Before You - Chapter 234
Baroness Inferna silently looked between the woman and the apothecary before turning to Iruel, who stood beside her.
“Iruel.”
“Yes, Madam?”
“You decide what to do.”
“Me?”
“You were the one who bought the herbs. You decide how to handle them.”
“Wow, power falling right into my hands. I love it.”
The moment the Baron finished speaking, Iruel strode forward.
“P-Please, my lord, please help us…”
The woman, clutching her silver coin, pleaded desperately. But Iruel walked right past her without a glance.
Instead, he stopped directly in front of the apothecary.
“Ah, you have a keen eye, sir. Then let us head inside the manor right awa—”
Just as the apothecary rubbed his hands together and assessed Iruel, he was abruptly cut off.
Iruel snapped his fingers. At the same time, a burst of magic crackled like static.
It happened in an instant.
Rip!
A sharp tearing sound filled the air.
“Ah!”
The apothecary’s servant let out a startled cry and hurriedly lowered his head—but it was already too late.
The sack had split open, spilling its contents. Gold coins tumbled out in a cascade, scattering across the storage room floor.
“M-My gold!”
Panicking, the apothecary instinctively dropped down to his knees, scrambling to gather the coins.
As he knelt, frantically scooping up the scattered gold, Iruel spat out a cold remark.
“Get lost. Who do you think you’re fooling? I may not have gold, but I have some damn self-respect.”
The least respectable man in the manor talking about self-respect… Baroness Inferna clicked her tongue.
The apothecary’s motives for buying back the Cytiro were obvious.
He wanted to hoard it, jack up the price several times over, and sell it for an obscene profit.
Even in the distant Inferna territory, news had arrived—Hevania’s strained relations with the empire had completely collapsed, and trade had been severed.
The result? A nationwide shortage of Cytiro.
Now, Iruel understood why Rufus had ordered the herbs to be purchased.
The supply was cut off. The herb became scarce. Desperate people would flock to Inferna territory to find it.
‘Rufus, you crazy bastard… Just how far ahead did you see?’
Iruel swept his gaze across the gathered crowd, and a chill ran down his spine.
There were only about thirty people here now—but that number was about to grow exponentially.
After meeting Dr. Fertina, he was even more certain. Magic was useless here. Only Cytiro could treat the malnourished children suffering as famine and winter crept in.
Which led to a new problem.
What should he do next?
Logically, selling the Cytiro to the apothecary for an enormous sum made sense.
But would Rufus really have done all this just to earn a few sacks of gold?
Slowly, Iruel turned his head toward Baroness Inferna. She stood still, arms crossed, wearing an indifferent expression as if handing full control of the situation to him.
Iruel hesitated for only a moment before stepping away from the apothecary and back toward the woman.
“M-My lord…”
The woman, trembling, lowered her head even further as he approached.
From this angle, Iruel could clearly see the child strapped to her back.
His cracked, bleeding lips barely parted, his weak breath escaping in thin, shallow wisps. A breath so faint it seemed like it could stop at any moment.
There was no time to waste.
“Ma’am.”
Iruel knelt before her, his voice unexpectedly gentle.
“I will treat your child right away. Please don’t worry.”
The tension in the woman’s shoulders, drawn tight like a bowstring, eased just slightly.
“A-Are you a doctor…?”
“I’m not a doctor, but I did spend a night with one.”
“What…?”
Ignoring her bewilderment, Iruel stood up and turned toward Baroness Inferna.
“Madam.”
“What, you little brat?”
“Do we have any healing potions in the manor? The ones imbued with divine magic.”
“Hmm.”
At his question, Baroness Inferna recalled the manor’s resident physician, Dr. Dean. She remembered that every time he visited, he would leave a few healing potions.
“There are a few in the basement.”
“Aha! No wonder it stinks every time I go down there…”
Clicking his tongue, Iruel snapped his fingers again.
From the towering stacks of herbs in the storage room, something shot up into the air.
Two herbs—Cytiro and Biorna.
